So it’s come to this. It’s the big finale of season 2 of “Star Trek: Discovery”, as the producers’ grand plan is revealed and continuity is changed forever. (Or not changed, as the case may be.) We break down the action-packed episode and ponder just what show this episode expects us to want to see next.

Goodnight, Discovery crew! Parting is… well, you know. On the penultimate episode of season 2 of “Star Trek: Discovery” there are a lot of goodbyes. They’re beautiful and heartfelt and mostly earned, but what about the impending battle? Don’t you have time suits to built and time crystals to charge? Scott and Jason sing the praises of Anson Mount and the Disco-style Enterprise bridge as they prepare for next week’s fateful finale.

Special guest Dan Moren joins Scott and Jason to discuss an action-packed episode, where Reno dispenses relationship advice, Section 31 counts its ships, Spock is a little slow with the magnetizing, and Pike gets a scary vision of his future from a Klingon time monk.

We’re gearing up as we head toward the season finale: The Red Angel is revealed, and it’s literally been Michael Burnham’s guardian angel across many timelines! An enemy takes the form of a different enemy! Pike’s fate foretold! Foreboding holograms! And Jason has conspiracy theories! There’s much to talk about… so we do. As usual.

This week the Red Angel’s identity is revealed. Jason and Scott feel mixed about this episode, which featured some good character scenes and a very exciting climax, but also some questionable plot points. And while it turns out that “time crystals” are a real and canonical thing, Jason still doesn’t like them.

Last week’s episode was a hard one to follow, but this week we’ve got a killer half-robutt, Spock ruining Burnham’s 3-D chess set, and a bunch of suspicious space mines. Also, Scott chides Jason for being speciesist, and Jason has more wacky plot theories.

Previously, on Star Trek… “Discovery” goes where “Star Trek” hasn’t been in more than 50 years, as Burnham returns Spock to Talos IV to cure his insanity and get a sense of what is going on with the Red Angel. We discuss singing plants, creepy telepaths, Vina’s reunion with Pike, the super-awkward second life of Dr. Culber, and the dangers of mind melding with time travelers!

Vulcan Hello returns, but one of our favorite recurring segments ends when we finally find who we’ve been looking for! Plus, get ready for some frickin’ time rifts, Sarek’s sweet shuttlecraft pad, Michelle Yeoh’s kicks, and a shocking final revelation. Aleen Simms joins us to break down this week’s episode while we sit in the corner and mumble passages from “Alice in Wonderland”.

The hovering murder cylinder is on the other foot now, Ba’ul! In this episode we explore Saru’s new perspective on the Prime Directive, Pike’s measured responses to creepy voice-only hails, and the transformation of the Red Murderball into something that’s posthumously useful! Also, we get a closer look at the Red Angel (Jason’s feeling confident), and we have to debate whether the trailer for next week’s episode fits our Spotting Spock criteria.

This week the Discovery is waylaid by a red murderball, Saru learns what his threat ganglia are really for, all of engineering gets high on mushrooms, and Number One orders a hamburger. Scott and Jason break down this (overly?) busy episode.

February 7, 2019
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42 minutes

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A very different kind of episode this week, as “Star Trek: Discovery” beams in three different plots. Do we really need more Klingons? What’s happening in the search for Spock? And is Tilly’s friend a friendly ghost or a dangerous alien spore blob? It’s also time to bring back the conspiracy corner segment, because Jason has some theories about the Red Angel.

January 31, 2019
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44 minutes

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This week the Discovery takes a spore jump to a mysterious human colony deep in the Beta Quadrant, Pike and Burnham joust about science and religion, Tilly drinks too much espresso and tries to replace Stamets with a space rock, and Saru gets a chance to practice his “Glare ‘n’ Care” management philosophy. And on our podcast, Scott introduces a new segment that somehow we didn’t call “The Search for Spock,” even though we probably should have.

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There are only two weeks until season 2 of “Star Trek: Discovery” commences, but in the meantime we’ve got our favorite of the four “Short Trek” films to discuss. Rainn Wilson returns as Harry Mudd(s)! We learn why rich people wear caps, that the path to a Tellarite’s heart is through its tusks, and that you should always remember where you parked.

January 4, 2019
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19 minutes

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Scott and Jason return to discuss the third “Short Trek” preceding the return of “Star Trek: Discovery,” in which we learn Saru’s origin and why Kelpiens are not commonly seen in Starfleet. Along the way we discuss hovering murder cylinders, food courts and gazebos, and the recently released final trailer for season two.

December 18, 2018
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27 minutes

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Is it Taco Tuesday yet? Scott and Jason return to discuss CBS’s plan for endless “Star Trek” and the latest “Short Trek”, a delightful retelling of a part of “The Odyssey”—or is it “Wall-E”?—with an injured spaceman and a lonely artificial intelligence who really loves old movies.

Star Trek Short Trek #2 •
November 12, 2018
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28 minutes

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The Vulcan Hello podcast returns with a dissection of the first of four “short films”—didn’t we used to call these Webisodes?—running up to second season of “Star Trek: Discovery.” In “Runaway,” Tilly—we love Tilly!—discovers a mysterious and dangerous stowaway alien monster that might actually just be a grumpy teenager. Also we share our reactions to the new season 2 “Discovery” trailer, featuring hunky Spock! Deal with it, people.

Short Treks 1: “Runaway” •
October 11, 2018
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36 minutes

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So we reach the end! We say a Vulcan Goodbye to this first season of “Star Trek: Discovery” with a look at a shocking final scene, a rushed ending, a surprising conversion by Admiral Cornwell, some abrupt goodbyes, and Tilly’s “just say no” moment.

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The penultimate episode has arrived, and with it, we discover the fall-out — tactically and emotionally — of the Discovery’s return to the Klingon-Federation War. Ash Tyler grapples with his security wristband and identity crisis! Tilly shows her human decency! Sarek and the Emperor are the universe’s weirdest mom and dad! And Admiral Cornwell returns to assert her authority with a few choices that we have serious questions about.

380

This week wave goodbye to the mirror universe and… certain… characters… as we ride a mycelial shockwave back to somewhere near our point of origin. Joining Scott and Jason on the ride this time are two representatives of Scotland. We discuss why Burnham is great, what the motivations of Georgiou are, and parallels between “Game of Thrones” and “Discovery.” Two more episodes to go!

January 29, 2018
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1 hour, 1 minute

375

The conspiracy closet has blown wide open! Our wildest speculations come to pass in this episode, which sees a mycelial mind-meld, the most dangerous Golden Snitch ever, some Klingon laser-finger surgery, disturbing Terran Empire cuisine, fast thinking by Burnham, and the revelation of just what the heck is going on inside the mind of Captain Lorca.

372

The U.S.S. Discovery is still in the Mirror Universe and we meet more counterparts to people we know. Burnham agonizes over major ethical questions while Lorca is agonized. A lot. Plus what happens when a not so secret Klingon meets himself? Nothing good!

368

The crew of the U.S.S. Discovery has returned to our screens, but they find themselves in a different universe. In this episode we revisit the Vulcan Hello, open the porous door that once separated us from the Conspiracy Closet, express excitement about numerous references to previous Star Trek series, and bid farewell (or do we? it’s “Star Trek”) to a recurring character in a moment with a lot of dramatic impact but some unfortunate resonances to some modern TV tropes.

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Grab your phaser — it’s time for the fall finale of “Star Trek: Discovery!” Jason and Scott break down the Klingon action, the drama back on the Discovery, and venture behind the Gorn skeleton once again as we enter Conspiracy Corner. Into the forest we go!

Star Trek: Discovery season 1, episode 9 •
November 12, 2017
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1 hour

338

Brush up on your Latin, put on your running shoes, and scream for the guard outside the door! It’s time for our report on the latest episode of “Star Trek: Discovery”, in which a landing party comes into an unexpected contact with spore aliens, the Klingon plot gets some real forward momentum, and Stamets reveals that all is not well at the heart of the Spore Drive.

329

This week Scott is joined by David Loehr, perhaps not for the first time, to discuss twists in time and in the plot of this week’s episode of “Star Trek: Discovery.” (Yes, we know, there are issues with Scott’s audio. He was caught in a time loop during the recording of this episode and we can’t go back and change it now.)

325

This week Sarek returns and gets a Vulcan goodbye from a logic extremist, Burnham learns a surprising secret about her past and how she ended up in Starfleet, Lorca proves himself an adept manager and an unstable sleeping companion, and Tilly has a run-in with a snide food replicator. Scott mispronounces names and we try to correct him. Also, we inaugurate a new segment of the show, the Conspiracy Phaser! (If you don’t want to hear our wild spoilery speculation about where the show is going plot-wise, we will give you full warning so you can bail out.)

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Dan Moren joins Scott to discuss an episode featuring a surprise death at the hand of a not-so-monstrous monster, a whole lot more Klingon dialogue, a Special Guest Hologram, and the series’ first successful spore-enabled jump.

306

This week Scott is joined by two Scots to discuss Michael Burnham’s arrival on the USS Discovery. Vulcan martial arts! Gorn skeletons! The horrors of creepy alien monsters and perky roommates! This episode has it all… even a zipper and a Tribble.

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We’re back to discuss the second episode of “Star Trek: Discovery!” Burnham has to deal with her mutinous actions. We get too many Klingons, including a flashback. Ensign Head Wound meets a confused end. Sarek sends a long-distance mental pep talk. And Captain Georgiou meets the fate of all Special Guest Stars. Onward to the dark Starfleet chamber of justice!

301

Hello, humans! A new Star Trek series has appeared and in this episode we review the one hour premiere of “Star Trek: Discovery.” We discuss the comportment of bridge officers, the “Star Trek: Shenzhou” prequel series we never saw, the appearance of the Star Trek Sound Effects pack, why Vulcans are kind of jerks, and the validity of using small caps in your caption font. And much, much more!

(Note: This episode only contains spoilers for the very first hour of “Star Trek: Discovery.” In fact, we made a point of recording it immediately after viewing. In our next episode we’ll discuss the second hour.)